Liturgies based on the RCL readings for each Sunday of the church year. I post these for folks to use in worship, as they deem appropriate. I have just published "Where the Broken Gather," a collection of liturgies for Year B of the RCL, as well as 'Dust Shaker' (poems and prayers for Year B (both are available through Amazon). If you use these posted liturgies on a regular basis, I hope you might consider a donation to my writing ministry.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Liturgy for December 29, 2013 (1st Sunday after Christmas - A)

Texts: Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23

Call
to WorshipL: All creation, all people: praise the Lord!P: stars
shooting across the sky, sing glad songs to our God!L: Snow clouds
approaching, birds sitting on a branch: praise the Lord!P: Sleeping
cats and braking dogs, sing new choruses of praise!L: Rich and
poor, leaders and followers: praise the Lord!P: Old and young,
families and singles, we will lift our joy to our God!

Prayer of
the DayOn that not so silent night,you came to us, Mothering
God, like a night nurse on the pediatric floor, to
gather us in your arms and swaddle us in your hope.

On that not
so silent night,you came to us, Child of humanity, to be cradled
with the lost, to share a stable with outsiders, to confront the
bullies who threaten our children.

On that not so silent
night,you came to us, Spirit of joy, to lift us up and carry us to
salvation, to help us persist in praising God, to share our
lives with us.

Be with us in all the nights and days to come,God in
Community, Holy in One,even as we pray as you taught us, saying,Our
Father . . .

Call to ReconciliationWe know all that God has done for
us, aswell as all we could have done for others.Let us confess to God
our failures andfoibles, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer
of Confession We could proclaim your name, God ofthis holy season, but
we spend too muchtime talking about celebrities. We couldtell others
about all your gracious deeds,but are comparing notes about the
exploitsof our favorite athletes. We could let yourWord guide our
lives, but instead we dowhat the politicians think is best. Why?
Because we forget who we are calledto be. But you remember, Faithful God.
Youremember that we put our trust in others, notyou; you remember how we
chase after idols,not follow you; you remember to save us inour
distress, which is why you sent Jesus tous, our Lord, our
Savior.

Silence is kept

Assurance of PardonL: In the silence,
in the dreams, in thewonder, in the words, God comes to saveus and have
mercy on us.P: It is fitting that we offer our thanks andpraise to the
One who forgives us. Thanksbe to God! Amen.

Great Prayer of
ThanksgivingL: May the God of Christmas be with you!P: And also with
you!L: Put your trust in the One who has come.P: We offer our hearts
willingly to our God.L: Join all creation in praising God.P: We join
in the chorus of glad songs to God.

In that not so silentmoment, you
spoke to creation,God of our dreams and hopes, and birds warbled in
the morning, thunder rumbled over the waters, cows lowed in the
meadows.For us, those shaped in your image,were these gifts imagined and
formed, but we took up after death, getting up to follow
sin.Prophets came to praise your name,and to bring us back to
you, but we thought they were trying to trick us.Then you
sent Jesus, Pioneer of salvation,to proclaim your name to us.

With
those who are shy and silent,with those who persist in glorifying you,we
offer our thanksgiving songs:

In the silence of the night,your holiness
became human, our God,and you blessed us with Jesus, Child of grace.When
he could have stayed with you, he came to offer us help.When he
could have remained in Nazareth, he got up to bring us the good
news.When he could have played it safe, he shared his flesh and
blood on the cross, so we might have life through the
resurrection.

As we celebrate the gift of his life,as we remember his
death and rising to new life,we proclaim that mystery called
faith:

P: Christ died, putting his trust in you; Christ rose,
taking on the resurrection life; Christ will come, to carry us home to
you.

Into these moments of silenceand sacrament, send your
Spiritupon those gathered in this place,and on the gifts of the Bread
and Cup.As we eat of the Bread,send us out to serve the hungry
and the homeless, the lost and forgotten, the broken and
battered -all whose hopes have disappeared.As we drink from the
Cup,may we see the lonely and forsaken, the hurting and
ridiculed, the oppressed and imprisoned -all whose dreams have
become nightmares.

And when we are gathered to your side,we will
proclaim your glory toour sisters and brothers around the Table,our
praises being offered to you,God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.